Salinas >> After a second round of public testimony, mostly from those involved with the area vacation rental business, the Monterey County Planning Commission decided on Wednesday to pursue a methodical approach to developing short-term rental regulations.

The commission agreed to continue its review of a preliminary draft short-term rental ordinance to June 28. They expressed a desire to begin a thorough consideration of all aspects of potential regulations to govern the popular area practice of renting out homes for a few days to a few weeks to visitors. That practice remains largely unrestricted due to a lack of enforceable rules.

In response to a request by commissioners for more “structure” in their review of potential regulations, county Special Programs Manager Melanie Beretti promised to provide a list of critical issues and aspects related to the preliminary draft ordinance, starting with the question of whether the county should require discretionary use permits for the vacation rentals.

Commissioner Paul Getzelman said he preferred “a lot” more structure for the commission’s discussions, addressing each key issue one at a time and rejecting the notion of an ad-hoc committee to hash through the issues before returning to the commission with recommendations.

“I’d rather take it in steps, similar to the general plan,” Getzelman said. “I don’t want the public to think we’re doing this behind closed doors. We need to do this in public.”

Beretti pointed out she had provided a framework for discussing the key issues, including the level of review to be associated with any permit, an evaluation of rental types to be allowed, the permitting process and potential limits on the number of permits issued.

Getzelman and commission chairman Don Rochester said they preferred a “less is more” approach that would simplify any new rules. They suggested, along with other commissioners, that the long-thriving area vacation rental business would exist regardless of the county’s rules and argued it makes more sense to encourage rental owners to comply instead of establishing onerous regulation.

Commissioner Amy Roberts said she’d support limits on the number of vacation rentals in a specific neighborhood and the frequency with which they can be rented, but suggested a one-year test period for new regulation.

“I personally believe this business will exist whether we regulate it or not,” Roberts said.

In place for 20 years, the county’s current vacation rental rules have been largely ignored even as the business has thrived. That has sparked some neighbor complaints and opposition, and county enforcement. Efforts to establish new, more workable regulations have been under way for years.

Commissioners Martha Diehl and Keith Vandevere argued that any new rules should be accompanied by thorough analyses of vacation rentals’ impact on neighborhoods, area hotels and other commercial visitor accommodations, and the demand for and availability of affordable and workforce housing.

Diehl said “enforcement” of any regulation would be a critical element and suggested transient occupancy tax collected from vacation rentals could be used to pay for it. She argued it is “incumbent” on the county to address regulation and oversight rather than relying on vacation rental business self-enforcement. She said she was getting “increasingly irritated by the notion that ‘I’m going to do it anyway no matter what you decide,” adding that “really rubs me the wrong way.”

The preliminary draft ordinance proposed to establish three main types of vacation rentals, and set review and permitting requirements including a business license, based on rental type, and other details. The draft does not address enforcement or limits on the number of rentals per area, though those are expected to be developed.

The rules would apply to the unincorporated areas of the county with the exception of Big Sur, for which separate rules would be developed later in the year.